Muddling through this life with an eye on the next, realizing we need all the help we can get.

Friday, May 15, 2015

St. Isidore's Angel

Today is the feast of St. Isidore the Farmer (1070-1130). St. Isidore was a poor Spanish farmhand who worked his whole life for a wealthy and kind landowner on an estate outside of Madrid. Isidore was known for his charity toward those even poorer than himself, as well as for his deep religious habits such as rising early to attend church before starting his work. Legend has it that at times Isidore's guardian angel would help plow the fields while Isidore was at Mass, so as to not let the farmhand fall behind on his obligation or overburden the other workers.

Now before you start thinking, uh huh, it's about time my angel starts doing something for me, like the dishes, keep in mind that Isidore's angel covered him so he could GO TO MASS, not catch the latest Celebrity Apprentice, or whatever the equivalent was back then (Lords and Serfs: Feudal Wars ?).

The main reason Isidore was graced with spectacular supernatural help is that he was already really, really holy--Mother Teresa holy. Still, that doesn't mean every extremely virtuous person is going to experience an extraordinary angelic intervention. That decision ultimately rests with God, and, you guessed it, we'll never know the reasons why or why not.

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Welcome!

Allow me a quick statement of purpose: This is a decidedly Catholic blog about the angels, with content drawn from the teachings and traditions of the Roman Catholic Church.

What you won't find here are discussions of spirit guides, inner angels, angel naming, angel readings, cherubic crystals, past life journeys, rebirths, channeling and other charming New Age pastimes.

What you will find, I hope, are non-boring, blessedly brief posts meant to inspire, inform, and, hopefully at times, amuse. As G.K. Chesterton once said, "Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly."

About Me

Melaine Ryther is a freelance writer whose articles, essays, and short stories have appeared in a variety of print and online magazines, including Columbia, Catholic Parent, Catholic Heritage, Catholic Digest, and The Liguorian. Her writing website can be viewed here.

In addition to Partners in Holiness, she has written several other non-fiction and fiction books, which are featured below.

A native of Minnesota, Melaine currently lives in eastern Washington State with her husband and four children.